Yoshiki Okamoto Interview (E3)

Capcom's head of R&D talks about Blackbelt, M2, N64, and Street Fighter IV

By IGN Staff

Today, IGN sat down with Capcom's director of R&D, Yoshiki Okamoto. Being very candid, Okamoto discussed and answered a lot of those hard questions many developers would shy away from.

IGN: Before we get started, we'd like to say that we're really big fans of your work, especially, the Street Fighter series.

Okamoto: Thanks you very much.

IGN: There was an interview not to long ago with you in a Japanese magazine. In this interview you talked about an N64 version of Resident Evil. What can you tell us about this?

Okamoto: It is just an idea that I have in my head, based on what the N64 hardware can do. This doesn't mean that we've started work on such a title.

IGN: By the N64 being cartridge based, does it cause any limitations for your highly animated games?

Okamoto: No, I see no limitations.

IGN: What about a game like Street Fighter 3? A game so intense with frames of animation is sure to take up a lot of space.

Okamoto: Well, we have no such project in the works for the N64, so I'm not worried about it. We are working on a puzzle game however.

IGN: A puzzle game? Like Puzzle Fighter?

Okamoto: (Laughter), no something very different. We will be showing this puzzle game for N64 soon. It's going to be a very popular puzzle game.

IGN: Is there a name for it?

Okamoto: Not yet.

IGN: Will it come to the States and Japan.

Okamoto: Yes, of course!

IGN: Do you over look production on both console and arcade games?

Okamoto: Yes, I do.

IGN: We heard last year that a fighting games was being produced for the M2. Can you shed some light on this?

Okamoto: (A long silence fills the room and then laughter) We are making something for the M2, but it is not time to announce it.

IGN: Is Street Fighter 3 doing as well as Capcom expected it to do?

Okamoto: No, it is doing less than we expected, but we now know what we have to do for Street Fighter 4.

IGN: Do you think it is time to go 3D?

Okamoto: I believe 2D and 3D can co-exist. So as far as Street Fighter 4 is concerned, it will be a 2D game.

IGN: Of the Street Fighter characters in SF3, do you have any favorites?

Okamoto: Alex!

IGN: How do you about Capoeira? Did her fighting style and execution come out the way you wanted?

Okamoto: Yes, it did. And Street Fighter 3 was the first game to show off this style of fighting. We liked it very much.

IGN: Do you think the window on the M2 is closing? Is it too late for it make an entrance.

Okamoto: In my personal opinion, yes, I think the window is closing. I've also heard rumors that Matsushita will be abandoning the machine soon.

IGN: What game are you most proud of?

Okamoto: This 'Strip Mahjong' game that we did in the arcade a long time ago. The same person who does a majority of our character designs, Akiman or Akimoto, made this game and designed the characters. He even supplied the voice for the man playing the game! Of course, we did not want people thinking that Capcom was THAT kind of company, so we published the game under a different name (everyone laughs).

IGN: Have you seen anything on the new Sega hardware that's being developed? The blackbelt or Dural?

Okamoto: (Long pause) Yes. Yes.

IGN: What games have you seen today that have impressed you?

Okamoto: Concker's Quest. It was very nice.

IGN: Will we be seeing any characters from Street Fighter 2 or 3 making a reappearance in Street Fighter 4?

Okamoto: Maybe. How about Adon (laughter)? Or Dee Jay (more laughter)? Yes, we'll see at least one character returning.